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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bark — to shout
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. ball — a great time
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. press — a publisher
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. press — newspapers
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. press — to push
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bark — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com